RGD urging new mothers to check baby’s name before adding signature
Hospitals generally provide moms-to-be with a list of must-have items when preparing to give birth, but the Registrar General Department (RGD) wants to add one more item to that list. Don’t worry; this one will not cost you a penny more, but will instead save you time and money.
Gloria Ximinies, Registration Officer at the RGD, says the government entity is encouraging women to walk with the correct spelling of their child’s name on a piece of paper, so that it is readily available when their new-born is being registered. This advice has become necessary, as some mothers turn up at the RGD afterwards to dispute the spelling of their child’s name.
“Write down your baby’s name before you get to the hospital. Decide on the spelling of the name that you want between yourself and your spouse, and whosoever else wants to be a part of the naming,” she urges pregnant women.
This piece of paper can then be handed to the RGD officer assigned to do the registrations at the hospital. While this officer will generally ask for the correct spelling, there is the potential for problems to arise. The mother might feel that the name is spelled one particular way, while the father might not agree and then challenges the spelling. This problem is eliminated when a father, mother, and other concerned parties write the name on a piece of paper, approve it together, and then hand that paper to the RGD officer at the time of registration.
The RGD is the government agency responsible for the safekeeping of public records. It maintains a record of all vital events, including births and deaths.
Ximinies explained that one of the main requests currently is for corrections to be made to the spelling of names. Most persons dispute the spelling of their names when they realize the incorrect spelling while applying for a passport or when their child is registering for school.
The Registration officer said the RGD is aware that some persons are unable to read. As such, officers are sent to the health centres to advise women prior to them giving birth.
“We give them all the information. We say, get a relative to write down all your information for you, or walk with a copy of your birth certificate, because for the most part, the most technical information would be on your birth certificate, like the person’s name, date of birth, place of birth. All that would be left for them to do now, would be to put their address, and how many children they have,” she told Freedom Come Rain.
Ximinies cautions mothers that they must ensure the spelling of their child’s name and other information are correct on the registration form they fill out at the hospital, before affixing their signature.
“A lot of times, that’s where the issue comes; persons just sign and they don’t read over. Even now with the bedside registration, we have those challenges. We fill out the registration forms, we say, ‘read your information to make sure it is correct’, however, they are still coming back later to say there is an error,” she said.